Advice and Tools
For every step of your Ostomy Journey
SASS aims to advocate and align the standard of Stoma care and services across South Africa which will be applicable to both the private and public sectors.
Ostomy Care
Tips and Tricks
The South African Society of Stomates (SASS) is a Non-profit organization formed by Ostomates across Southern Africa to facilitate a “holistic” approach to ostomy patient care by bridging the gap between the private and public sectors whilst advocating for the rights of fellow ostomates throughout the country.
SASS VALUE STATEMENT
SASS is dedicated to advocating for the rights and well-being of ostomates across South Africa. We strive to bridge the gap between private and public healthcare sectors, ensuring that all ostomates receive the highest standard of care.
Our mission is to provide comprehensive support, education, and resources to empower ostomates and their families, helping them navigate their new normal with confidence and dignity. By collaborating closely with clinicians and healthcare professionals, we ensure that our community receives expert care and guidance.
Aligning with global standards set by The International Ostomy Association (IOA), we aim to foster a community where every ostomate feels supported, informed, and valued.
Featured Topics
For Living with a Colostomy, Ileostomy or Urostomy
Help us achieve
What we set out to achieve with YOUR help
GET EDUCATED
Medically reviewed surgery-specific information. Making sure you have access to the best possible care. Ostomy pouch management tips, diet & nutrition, skincare, sexuality, travel tips and more!
FEEL SUPPORTED
Support to you & your family whilst you transition into your new normal. You will have access to a local peer support group, where you can get answers to questions, or connect with our Facebook community.
BE AN ADVOCATE
We aim to advocate the standard of Stoma care across private and public sectors, whilst aligning with the global standards set out by The International Ostomy Association (IOA).
“I’m an individual. Treat me, not just my disease.”
Today I had the privilege of speaking at a Coloplast Inservice Training session hosted by Faircape Health Institute, sharing my personal journey of living with a stoma.
What made today particularly special was that the programme evolved into something even more valuable. Clinicians in the room had a rare opportunity to ask questions directly to ostomates from around the world:
🇮🇸 Jon – Iceland
🇬🇧 Caroline – United Kingdom
🇷🇴 Isabella – Romania
🇸🇰 Andrea – Slovakia
🇫🇮 Henrik – Finland
Different countries. Different healthcare systems. Different journeys. Yet one common thread:
See the person behind the condition. Listen to their lived experience. Treat the whole patient.
It was also a wonderful continuation of the conversations started at #SASS2026, bringing multidisciplinary healthcare professionals and the lived-experience voice together to explore what truly holistic, patient-centred care looks like.
A sincere thank you to Coloplast and Faircape Health Institute for the invitation and for creating space for these important conversations.
And it was fantastic to finally meet Anthony Ghilano from the QuadPara Association Western Cape in person. Thank you for sharing your perspective and helping us broaden the conversation around living well with complex health conditions.
Different journeys. One shared message: the patient is more than their diagnosis.
Stronger Together. 💙
If you are new to life with a stoma, Iman has a message for you:
Give yourself grace. Be patient with yourself.
There is a lot to learn. Your body has changed. Your pouch may feel uncomfortable. Some days may be harder than others.
But you are not limited.
Take the time to understand your new body. Find your community. Talk to people who understand what you are going through. And, when you are ready, embrace this new part of yourself.
Because that pouch may be uncomfortable at times, but it also represents something incredibly important:
another chance at life.
Don`t let fear, shame or other people`s expectations hold you back.
Go live your life. ❤️
#WorldOstomyDay #SASS2026 #OstomyAwareness #StomaLife #OstomatesOnTheMove #StrongerTogether
EACH ONE, TEACH ONE. 🤝
Knowledge becomes even more powerful when we share it.
The AOA and EOA delegation had the privilege of visiting the Groote Schuur Hospital Stoma Therapy Department, where we were warmly welcomed by Sr Nicci and her dedicated team, together with Dr Warden.
Our visit was an opportunity to learn from the best practices that have helped make this clinic a flagship public-sector stoma service.
But this was more than a visit. It was an exchange of knowledge, experience and ideas — recognising that every country, every service and every professional has something valuable to teach, and something valuable to learn.
From South Africa to the rest of Africa and Europe, we continue to build bridges, share what works and strengthen ostomy care together.
Because when we share knowledge, we all become stronger.
Each One Teach One.
Stronger Together. 🇿🇦🌍
#SASS2026 #AOA #EOA #OstomyCare #EachOneTeachOne StrongerTogether StomaCare KnowledgeSharing PublicHealthcare
Don’t lift that.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Be careful.”
For many people living with a stoma, the list of limitations can feel endless.
But what happens when rehabilitation is designed with the stoma in mind, and you are supported by people who understand your body, your pouch and your journey?
Iman found that she could do more than she thought possible.
In fact, today she says she is doing more than she did before life with a stoma.
That is what structured rehabilitation can help unlock: not simply getting back to where you were, but discovering what you are capable of now. ❤️
Ostomates On The Move | SASS
#WorldOstomyDay #OstomatesOnTheMove #SASS2026 #OstomyAwareness #StomaLife #Rehabilitation #FunctionalFitness #StrongerTogether
Living with a stoma is not just about learning how to change a pouch.
It is about learning your body.
What works for you.
What your body needs.
What you eat.
How you move.
And the lifestyle changes that can help you live confidently with your pouch.
For Iman, the Ostomates On The Move Program has helped her understand these things and, most importantly, understand that life with a stoma can still be an active and fulfilling life.
Because when you understand your body, you can start working with it — not against it. ❤️
Ostomates On The Move | SASS
#WorldOstomyDay #OstomatesOnTheMove #SASS2026 #OstomyAwareness #StomaLife #QualityOfLife #StrongerTogether
🚐 OSTOMATES ON THE MOVE! 🌍
This week, our international guests are quite literally Ostomates On The Move! 🇿🇦🌍
A huge thank you to Protea Toyota for sponsoring a People Carrier to help transport our VIP guests to and from the airport, meetings and engagements throughout the week.
From Africa to Europe, the UK and the USA, our guests have travelled a long way to be part of this special week with SASS — and thanks to Protea Toyota, they can get around Cape Town comfortably, safely and together.
Because sometimes, support means getting people where they need to be. ❤️
Thank you, Protea Toyota, for helping us keep our ostomates on the move!
Stronger Together. 💙
#OstomatesOnTheMove #SASS2026 #StrongerTogether #ProteaToyota OstomyAdvocacy WorldOstomyDay CapeTown
🌍 Ostomates from around the world, together at SASS2026 to celebrate World Ostomy Day.
Today, we celebrate the strength, resilience and lived experiences that connect the global ostomy community.
From across countries and continents, ostomates have come together in Cape Town for SASS2026 — sharing stories, building connections and reminding us that while our journeys may be different, we are stronger together.
💙 World Ostomy Day 2026
🌍 SASS2026 | Cape Town, South Africa
#WorldOstomyDay #WOD2026 #SASS2026
Today, we celebrate World Ostomy Day. 💙
Across the world, millions of people are living with a stoma. Every journey is different, but behind every stoma is a person with a life, a story, hopes, challenges and dreams.
A stoma may be invisible to others, but the impact of living with one can be very real.
Today, we celebrate the strength and resilience of people living with a stoma. We recognise the families, caregivers, healthcare professionals and communities who walk alongside them. And we continue to advocate for the support, information and care that every person deserves.
Invisible disabilities. Visible support.
Wherever you are in your ostomy journey, remember:
You are not alone.
💙 Stronger Together.
#WorldOstomyDay #WOD2026 #InvisibleDisabilitiesVisibleSupport #OstomyAwareness #LifeWithAStoma #OstomyCommunity #StrongerTogether #YouAreNotAlone #SASS
SASS Blog
What has been happening at SASS
SASS Stoma Nurse Excellence Awards 2026
Honouring Nurses Who Change Lives Behind every ostomate’s journey is often a nurse who made an impossible moment feel manageable.A nurse who provided dignity during uncertainty.A nurse who offered reassurance, compassion, education, and hope. The SASS Stoma Nurse Excellence Awards were created to recognise and celebrate stoma nurses who go above and beyond in supporting […]
SASS2026 Conference: Multidisciplinary Ostomy Care Conference in South Africa
The South African Society of Ostomates (SASS) will host the SASS2026 Conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cape Town, bringing together healthcare professionals involved in the care and rehabilitation of people living with a stoma. The conference is designed as a multidisciplinary clinical platform, supporting knowledge-sharing across nursing, physiotherapy, biokinetics, dietetics, occupational therapy, and […]
SASS IS PROUDLY AFFILIATED WITH
SASS Is Proudly Supported By
